D.J. Williams, good man, good tight end, good fit

The Dolphins have Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams on their draft radar.

There have been, in fact, reports that when the Dolphins went to Fayetteville, Arkansas and worked out both Williams and quarterback Ryan Mallett, that it was Williams who was more intriguing to the team. I don't exactly know if I buy that.

But I know the Dolphins can use an upgrade at tight end. And Williams would be one. And that's why Williams has been the focus of much Dolphins personnel work and attention.

On Tuesday, Williams spent some time with me on my Armando and the Amigo radio show in South Florida. I asked Williams if he's noticed extra attention from the Dolphins?

"I want to say yes, but I don't want to sit there on draft day and hear, "the Miami Dolphins select," and they don't pick me. So I'll just leave it there," Williams said. "They have shown me interest, I will say that. We had a good time and had lunch with [offensive coordinator Brian Daboll] and everyone else when they worked us out."

At one point during that private workout in Arkansas, Williams volunteered to play the piano at general manager Jeff Ireland's wedding anniversary party.

"I figured, why not?" he said.

Williams said Tampa Bay, the Vikings, and the Texans are among the other teams who have also shown a high amount of interest in him.

So what will an NFL team get from Williams?

"I'm going to try to be the best the NFL has seen," he said.

Williams fits the Miami mold. He's 6-2 and 250 pounds, he's productive, he comes with a resume of having played in the Southeastern Conference, and he's a good man. Remember last year the Dolphins showed they want to add solid citizens to the roster.

Williams is an inspiration. As a child his mom was involved in an abusive relationship with his father in Texas. It got so bad his mom had to move the family to a shelter in the same state. Not far enough away, apparently, from the abuser so she changed her plans and decided to leave the state.

"We were sitting there in Dallas and my mom wanted to move further away," Williams said. "She pulled out a map and told me, 'Where are we going?' I just put my finger on a spot. I was young at the time, I didn't know what I was doing. I put my finger on the map and it landed in Little Rock, Arkansas, so we packed up and left. We lived in a shelter there for a time and pretty much worked our way up from there. We're in a good spot now, living nice."

Williams freely recounts his tale. He says his experiences have colored the person he is today.

"I was young but you always have that feeling that something's not right. I witnessed a lot of stuff going down between my parents. Just tthe fear and all that in my mom's eyes, you just know something's not right.

"But I wouldn't change anything because it's made me who I am today and it's made my family stronger. In life and even in football, adversity is going to come and it's how you respond that matters. It's like sandpaper. It's going to rub on you, but if you stay in it, it'll get worn down but you're going to come out smooth."

We asked Williams for first-hand information on Mallett, the quarterback the Dolphins also have on their radar.

You can hear the entire Williams interview, including what he said about Mallett, on the Armando and the Amigo podcast right here.